Can we talk about the ethics of treating a friend's severe acne at home?

Three years ago in my old apartment, I did a full extraction on my roommate for free, but last month I saw her at a party and her skin was worse than ever... Is it better to help a friend or always insist they see a pro?

3 comments

3 Comments

margaret_lane2mo ago

Man, that's such a tough spot. I get wanting to help a friend, I really do. But seeing her skin worse later must feel awful, like your help maybe did nothing or even made it worse in the long run. Severe acne is so deep and tricky, it's not just surface gunk. Now I feel like the kindest thing is to gently push them toward a derm, even if it's just for that first consult. You can still be supportive without being the one holding the tool.

uma_patel192mo ago

Actually, it's not just deep stuff, surface gunk can cause big problems too if you push it in deeper.

betty_fisher523d ago

Did your friend try those pore strips that rip off everything at once? My friend Sarah thought she was being smart by using one on a big whitehead on her chin, and it turned into this angry red crater that took weeks to heal. Even worse, she got a staph infection from picking at it after, had to go on antibiotics for a month. Now she just leaves them alone and only lets her derm touch any spot that looks serious. Surface level popping is a trap, I swear.